Can my contractor submit the plans instead of a QP?
For statutory building plans, structural plans and SCDF fire safety plans, no. Submissions must be made by a Qualified Person, meaning a Registered Architect or Professional Engineer of the appropriate discipline holding a valid practising certificate. Structural plans can only be submitted by a PE in the civil or structural discipline. Contractors may lodge some non-QP items, such as URA Category 3 conservation works or JTC 'List C' submissions, and can coordinate the process, but they cannot replace the QP's statutory role.
From the RRD Field Guide, checked against the sources cited in A&A and Fit-Out Approvals in Singapore: Who Approves What, and When. General information, not advice for your project.
The fuller picture
Most Singapore fit-outs and A&A works need several separate clearances: BCA for structural and non-exempt building works, SCDF for anything touching fire safety (plan approval, or a $90 minor A&A lodgement for small works), URA for change of use or external changes, the landlord, JTC or MCST, plus licensed electrical workers, licensed plumbers and gas workers for services. A Qualified Person coordinates the statutory submissions.
More questions on this topic
- Do I need BCA approval to put up office partitions?
- What is the SCDF minor A&A lodgement, and when can I use it?
- My new tenant wants to turn an office into a tuition centre. Who needs to approve?
- How long do approvals for a typical office fit-out take?
- Are approvals needed for electrical and plumbing changes in a fit-out?
- What happens if works start before approval?
- Does a condo owner need MCST approval for internal renovations?